Children's Home run by London Borough of Hillingdon in Hillingdon

Unique reference number SC032502 Inspection date 02/12/2011 Inspector Barbara Davies Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 27/10/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.3

About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Satisfactory : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

p.3

Brief description of the service

This is a children's home, run by a local authority, registered to care for up to 14 young people of either sex aged between 12 to under 18 years of age. There are 12 beds that accommodate children for a maximum of nine months and two emergency beds. The home provides care specifically for asylum seeking young people. The home is located on a residential road not far from local amenities and transport links.

p.4

Brief description of the service

Four young people participated in the inspection.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

p.4

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness of the provision is good. The home has had a positive impact on the lives of most of the young people. Many of the young people have experienced significant trauma and have been helped by staff to come to terms with this while adjusting to a new culture. Other young people have settled in the home after having experienced a disrupted placement history. One young person said, 'the home has been fantastic they have helped me turn my life around.’ Staff have a good recognition of the individual needs of young people and this is reflected within placement planning. The quality of relationships between young people and staff are excellent. The team ensure that the home provides good facilities and is a safe place for young people to stay.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Staff are trained and implement safe working practices. They are skilled, experienced and competent in their work. Behaviour is managed well. There are few serious incidents and physical restraint is rarely used used. Staff work closely with placing officers to identify strategies to reduce high risk behaviours such as absconding and drug use. Risk assessments, however, do not consistently identify the interventions being used when the levels of risk are at their highest, such as when young people finish school.

p.4

Overall effectiveness

Some other areas for improvement have been highlighted as a result of this inspection. One relates to the ensuring that the children’s guide is translated into different languages to help familiarise young people with the routines and expectations. Other areas relate to updating and reviewing procedural guidance for staff, improving the records maintained in relation to the vetting of agency staff, and addressing some issues relating to the maintenance and decoration of the home.

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure the care and support provided to children minimises the risk that they will go missing (NMS 5.1)  ensure the home a is well maintained and decorated, in particular that the worktops and electrical appliances in the kitchenette to which young people have access are refurbished (NMS 10.3)  ensure where a child requires it, the children's guide is available through suitable alternative methods of communication such ads translation into another language (NMS 13.6)  ensure the children's home has a record of the recruitment and vetting checks which have been carried out on those working (including as volunteers for the children's home) which includes all the detail specified in standard 16.3; this relates specifically to maintaining records for agency staff (NMS 16.3)  ensure staff are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced of staff. (NMS 19.4)

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are good .

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Some of the young people accommodated are asylum seeking children and have experienced significant trauma. Staff are highly sensitive to their needs and provide intense levels of support to help them come to terms with their situation. Translators and counsellors are utilised to provide specialist support to young people and to help staff gain a better understanding of their histories. These young people say they 'feel well cared for and safe.’ They enjoy living in the home and gain comfort from their peers. Equally, the local young people are well supported by staff. Some have only lived in the home for short periods of time but are already making progress in developing a knowledge and understanding of their background.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people maintain a healthy lifestyle by attending routine health checks and having a well-balanced diet. Regular exercise is incorporated into the activity programme, such as ice skating. Young people who have drug, alcohol and sexual health issues receive informal advice from staff about these issues and are encouraged by staff to attend specialist centres. Although young people do not always co-operate with this aspect of their health plan, staff persevere and continue to make the opportunities available. Extensive literature is also available in the home for young people to refer to. Placement plans, however, are not specific about the strategies being used by staff to divert young people away from being involved in the drug culture or in offending behaviour.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

The home makes suitable education provision available and supports young people to achieve. Given the short length of time they have been in placement, most have made good academic progress. Staff support young people with problems at school and encourage regular attendance. Similarly, young people obtain a lot of enjoyment from actively participating in recreational opportunities within the local community. Through the pursuit of these, young people develop confidence and social skills.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Staff support young people to take age appropriate risks in working towards independence. The daily routine provides opportunities for young people to perform small tasks around the home, such as cooking and tidying their rooms. Some young people make their way independently to visit their family and friends and have a travel card to enable them to do this.

p.6

Quality of care

Young people value the staff and enjoy spending time with them. When asked, young people agree that staff are concerned about their welfare and spend a lot of time giving them advice, guidance and support. Staff help young people to manage conflict. Staff maintain a visible presence when on duty and intervene quickly to help young people resolve any issues that occur. This strategy is mostly successful and incidents between young people rarely escalate. Similarly staff support young people to resolve issues The diverse cultural mix of young people is also reflected within the staff team. Staff support are good role models and help young people develop an appreciation of different cultures and traditions.

p.6

Quality of care

Activities are planned to meet both individual and group needs. A range of individual and group activities provide varied, stimulating and enjoyable experiences for young people. Young people know how to complain but have not needed to do so. Most speak positively of their time in the home and of the relationships they have with the staff and with each other. Young people say they can approach staff with problems and have confidence these will be resolved. There is evidence that positive relationships exist with the local community with one compliment having been received about the caring approach demonstrated by a young person. A comment was made that, 'the young person is a credit to your home.’

p.6

Quality of care

Staff ensure that young people have access to education and career opportunities. They are proactive in identifying appropriate educational provision for young people who are not in full-time education when they arrive at the school. On-site educational provision is available as an interim measure for these young people and levels of engagement are good. Staff support and encourage young people to achieve regular attendance. They also regularly share information with schools to help resolve any issues that occur. Young people are also supported to make the transition from school to employment through the close links that exist with careers agencies.

p.6

Quality of care

House meetings are not convened regularly, however young people feel that their views and wishes influence the way the home is run. They say that staff listen to them and will 'consider any requests made'. Improvements to the décor and facilities were recently agreed following an approach by young people to the director of the service.

p.6

Quality of care

The home is purpose built and contains individual and communal space for young people. There are several offices on the ground floor along with several bedrooms including the bedrooms for emergency placements. There are three staff sleep-in rooms, one on the ground floor and two on the first floor, one on each side of the building. There are bathroom facilities situated throughout the home and two kitchens, one specifically for the use of young people. There is a games room on the ground floor and two lounge areas as well as a separate dining area. The gardens surrounding the home can be accessed by the young people. A recent programme of redecoration and refurbishment has enhanced both bedroom accommodation and the communal facilities. The kitchenette for use by young people is, however, showing signs of wear and is in need of updating.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Robust policies and procedures that are consistently applied by staff ensure that young people are protected. Regular checks on the building, equipment and appliances, such as those in relation to fire, ensure the home is safe for young people.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Care plans and associated risk assessments clearly identify the risk factors for all young people. They also mostly identify the precautionary measures being taken by staff to keep young people safe. Given the high turnover of young people, the number of incidents when young people are missing from the home is low. Staff work proactively and mostly successfully with young people to reduce the frequency of this type of incident. It is not, however, clear what action is taken by staff to reduce the likelihood of young people failing to return to the home at the end of the school day.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people say they feel safe in the home and that they enjoy like living here. Despite this, staff are very aware of the risk-taking behaviour that some of the young people engage in and work closely with placing authorities to agree interventions. Staff talk to young people about how to keep themselves safe and use a variety of resources, such as literature and the use of external agencies, to reinforce the message.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Behaviour is well managed. Staff work positively and creatively with young people. They spend a lot of time talking and reasoning with young people and successfully de-escalate conflict situations. Physical restraint is rarely used, with just two incidents since the last inspection in October 2010. Both incidents were appropriate to the circumstances at the time and were of an extremely short duration. Similarly, the use of sanctions is consistently low. Young people often stabilise and settle within this placement after having been transferred from other placements in an emergency, such as following an assault on staff. Young people say, 'the staff are good- they spend time with us and we can talk to them. They help us sort out our problems.’

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff recruitment procedures for permanent staff are robust and reduce the likelihood of unsuitable people being employed to work with young people. Although the same safeguards are described as being applied to the use of agency staff, no documentation is held in the home to verify this is the case.

p.8

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

p.8

Leadership and management

Leadership and management of the service is very strong in most respects. The Registered Manager of the home, together with the senior team, provides clear direction to the staff team. Although the Statement of Purpose is in the process of being updated to reflect a change in service provision, staff are clear about the aims and objectives and work effectively to meet these.

p.8

Leadership and management

Information is also available in a user friendly format to inform young people about the services the home provides. While the local authority has translated a guide to its services into different languages, this is not the case in respect of the children's guide for the home. Young people who arrive at the home unable to speak English do not therefore immediately have access to written information about the home. While this is partially compensated for by obtaining an interpreter, a delay may be incurred before this can be arranged. Staff, between them, speak a number of different languages, but not always the language of the young person being admitted.

p.8

Leadership and management

External demands placed on the Registered Manager, together with annual leave, have resulted in inconsistent formal supervision of staff. However, staff say they are well supported in their role. A daily handover of information together with informal meetings and regular team meetings provide the opportunity for staff to share information, review methods of working with young people and mutually support each other. As a result, the impact for young people is minimal. There are few significant incidents and the atmosphere is generally relaxed with anxieties of young people being well managed.

p.8

Leadership and management

The staff team is stable, experienced and cohesive in it's practice. Consistency of care is provided as a result of an extremely low turnover of staff. A recruitment embargo has been effectively managed by appointing agency staff to long-term temporary positions and this has limited disruption to young people.

p.8

Leadership and management

Staffing arrangements and resources are sufficient to manage the needs of the current young people accommodated. They are, however, being kept under informal review by the Registered Manager to make sure they remain sufficient to meet the demands of the new statement of purpose and needs of the young people. The home's practices are subject to regular internal and external review with a view to improving the quality of the service provided. The views of young people are regularly sought during these processes and influence the proposals made. Young people approached the Director of the service, during a recent visit to the home, with suggestions for improvement. These were responded to speedily.

p.8

Leadership and management

Equality and diversity practice is good .

p.9